The Dead Girl
by Talon Silverwolf
Summary: To prove the dead can be risen from their graves for the Project, Kroenen resurrects someone from his past, but is it for his own objective?
1. Prologue

_Munich, Germany 1920_

Munich Science University was one of the top science universities in Germany. It allowed only the best and brightest students to glorify its grounds. The staff and faculty were impressed by his skills and talent; and he was more than proud to hear it. It reminded him of the time he sang opera as a child (the best and brightest) until he lost his singer's voice.

From a dreamer to a realist, it was quite a change. But he got used to it. And fast.

He was at the top of his classes. His mentors said he was a natural, like when he used to sing. He---

"Karl Rupert Kroenen! Get your ass over here!"

Kroenen jumped like a startled deer when he heard the voice demanding his attention.

Slowly, as if looking back at a ghost over his shoulder, he saw an angry young woman at the age of twenty glowering at him with predatory eyes. She had a brown hair that curled at the ends like many women styled their hair. She wore a white shirt and a matching maroon suit with a skirt. But unlike most women she had a fire in her. She was like a cat, a wild cat. And she had claws, too. She had punched him once to twice. And jumping on him was rather fun for her.

"Jacqueline," he said calmly. "What's the matter?"

"Stop being so coy, Karl Rupert Kroenen," she said.

Ouch. He hated it when she called him like that. It meant trouble.

She put her hands on her hips and said, "Do you know what time it is? I was looking all over for you. You weren't at the fountain where we always meet. What happened?"

Kroenen looked over to the man he was speaking with before he was rudely interrupted. He was Herman von Klempt. He knew him the first year at the university. And today he had informed him of an interesting political movement. Kroenen wasn't much into politics; science was his specialty, but what he was telling him peaked his interest.

He looked from Herman to Jacqueline. "Well, I . . .was distracted."

"You know very well our time together is limited," she said matter-of-factly. "And you wasted that time for what? What is so important?"

He stared at her a moment before gesturing to a heavy built man near him. "Jacqueline, this is Herman Von Klemt---"

She calmed a bit and dropped one arm at her side. "Listen, Karl, I need to speak to you."

He stared at her. It was a sudden change in such little time. Normally it took longer for her to cool down. If that was the case then it must be important.

"Well, I have to go," he said. "I'll meet you at the fountain at eight tonight, all right? Will that make it up?"

"All right. Perhaps that is best." Her voice was soft.

"Jacqueline? Is everything all right?" Something seemed wrong. The way she was acting. It was curious. She was rarely this way. It was the first time she had shown this side of her. She was a young woman who never shed a tear in from of him. Although, behind doors, he never knew what happened. Today there seemed to be something that wanted out of that door.

"I don't know," she said. "I'll speak to you in private." She turned and left.

Kroenen watched her and shook his head.

"What's wrong with her Karl?" Herman said.

He shrugged. "I'll just have to find out." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his pocket watch. It read 2:22pm.

"I better go, Herman. Tell me a little bit more about this plan, won't you?" He twirled his watched and put it back into his pocket. He turned and started off.

* * *

She became nervous as the days went by and she became more nervous as the hours passed through the whole day. She had meant to tell Karl Kroenen something she thought she never had to---but now she couldn't bring herself to. She feared it. She feared his reaction.

So, there was one option.

She arranged a meeting with two other medical students at one of their dorms. The university discouraged female and male interactions after hours but she ignored the rule (she and Karl both). This time she was meeting with another female, too, and for a different purpose.

They were both from her medical classes. They were called the twins since they were always seen together, but not in a romantic sort of way (unlike she and Karl). Lucky them. Romantic connections between students were also discouraged.

She went to the door of the dorm and knocked. She waited for a few seconds before she heard the lock click and the door open. Behind it stood a tall man and once they made eye contact, he smiled. "Come on in, Jacqueline." He stood aside and let her in.

She stepped inside and saw a young woman sitting at a table. She had her elbow on the table and leaned onto her ear as if she had been waiting for a long time.

"Finally she comes," she said. "Hello, Jaqueline."

She nodded. "Gerta."

"So what brings you here?"

Jaqueline stopped and looked at her then to the man behind her. She stepped aside so she had space between them. She stood there looking at them, and while she did, her heart began to pick up its pace. Her mouth went dry.

"Jaqueline?"

"I . . .have a problem."

"And that is?"

She lowered her eyes. She noticed her hands were shaking.

"Well, out with it, woman," the man said in a non-chalant tone.

She wasn't sure how long she held her silence but eventually she said, "I need surgery."

* * *

Jaqueline hadn't shown that night. She hadn't shown when he waited for her in the following afternoon, either. And he waited again the next night for her to show up. He even looked for at her dorm but there was no answer every time.

He sat on the concrete edge, listening to the falling water. She was missing for two days now and the last time he saw her she was begging for his attention.

Was this connected?

It worried him.

While he listened to the pouring water behind him a figure approached. He didn't look up until the familiar voice of Herman Klempt said, "Karl."

He picked his head up.

"Are you still looking for Jaqueline?"

"Waiting, yes."

Then, he flatly said, "Jaqueline's dead."

Kroenen shot to his feet. "What? What happened?"

Herman shrugged. "I don't know. I couldn't find out. People said she was hit by a car, maybe attacked. Everybody's saying anything."

Kroenen stood with his hands bunched.

He never found out the truth that day. He never found out for years, nor decades. His thoughts of her never left him.

He had to know.


	2. Jacqueline

_New York City, USA 2001_

Kroenen shooed a small robot the size of a Chihuahua aside with his boot as he crossed the confines of his lab. It was one of his newest scouting robots, but this one was getting irritating as it got underfoot while he worked. He had to shove it aside several times. He was near ready to kick it across the room, but he held back the urge. It worked fine, why break it?

He slid it to the side as he walked to a table and stood by it, settling his hands on the surface. It was littered with mechanical parts, one side piled in a certain order.

He was told he was a neat-freak. Maybe it was true.

The robot bumped into his boot and when it discovered it ran into a barrier, it turned and scurried away on its eight legs.

He adverted his eyes from it and began to refocus on what he was doing, but before he could, someone walked into the room, unannounced.

Didn't anyone hear of knocking?

"Doctor Kroenen?"

"Here." He picked his head up and watched a uniformed Nazi soldier take a few steps further into the lab, then stop.

"We got what you asked for," the man said. "I just want you to confirm if this is right."

He stepped up to the table across from him and displayed three photographs. One was a sign that read the ancient words of _Saint Michael Church Cemetery_; the second was an old headstone and engraved on it was: "Jacqueline Schults---died 1920"; the third was a dark picture of an open grave taken at night. The rectangular shape looked like an awkward toothless mouth ready to be fed.

"These seem more like souvenir postcards to me," Kroenen said but he knew they were authentic. He had been there before and it showed proof the men had gone to the right place.

"Is it right or not, Doctor Kroenen?"

"It is. Now, did you bring it here?"

"Yes, it's down---"

He paused suddenly and looked down where the robot was trying to climb up his pantleg and jabbing its sharp front legs against him. The man screamed in surprise and jumped but the thing didn't hurt him; it only clawed and poked him with its mini-might.

The man laughed almost in relief afterwards. "It's a miniature attack robot. Where do you think you're going to get with this thing? Shred people's knee caps off? Can I have one? I'd love to send it after Scott."

Kroenen ignored the comment. "I said where is it?"

The man returned his attention to Kroenen while he shook his leg. "I'll take you there. Come on." He turned, giving his leg one last shake and exited the lab with Kroenen following. He closed the door as he went, just in time to prevent the robot from going after their heels.

They stepped into another room, a large room with red and gold rugs. Against the wall was a wooden-framed painting of a ship at a violent and dark sea. There was a lounge sofa and a chair near it. On the right were fine glass doors with soft blue curtains. And lucky for him the room was just outside his lab, which had once been a study. He had enough time to convert it into a lab and the Ragnarok had enough time to convert the abandoned mansion into a base.

The man led him through several halls and down a flight of stairs which was the last room in the mansion. It was dimly lit and tired looking. The floor was bare and dusty, and so were the walls. There were boxes, supplies and other objects in the room.

"Here."

The man walked to a covered rectangular shape in the middle of the room. Kroenen's eyes darted left and right in anticipation before he stepped to his side. "Tell me if this is it," he said and whipped the cover off, revealing a coffin. He then opened it.

They both took a step back at what laid inside.

The man beside Kroenen immediately jumped back, gasping for breath and held a hand over his mouth and nose. Kroenen didn't react to the smell of death, although---he couldn't smell it past the filters of his mask. But the sight inside it---

There laid Jacqueline (died 1920) in a white dress with her arms crossed and a long dead rose resting on her bosom, a rose he had put there at her funeral. She was paler, fairly preserved but the same as he last left her. Dead.

He turned his head over to the man who kept his distance with his hand over his nose. He looked at him with an expression that read: _Well? Hurry up!_

Kroenen nodded. "Thank you."

With that, the man quickly spun around and bolted. He watched him go and thought, _Light-heart_, before he turned his attention to Jacqueline. He stood there long and still, then finally moved to get started on a new project that may please Rasputin---and himself.

* * *

He had lost sleep---more than usual---working on the project, and working on the subject wasn't easy, either. Good and bad memories went through his head each time he looked at Jacqueline's body, which was every day, every hour. There were times he turned the other way, but there she was again, in his mind, daydreaming of the past.

Past, present, future---

Her body looked near perfect. There were no sign of physical damage; no broken bones, bruising or hidden abnormalities. If there was something within her body that would tell the tale, then it would answer his long awaited question. But it would defeat the purpose of bringing her back, wouldn't it?

He wanted it finished. There was only one last thing, but it wasn't something a scientist like himself could do. He had to rely on someone else, someone more powerful. . .

She lay on an altar like an offering with four candles lit on each edge of it. It was blanketed by a red cloth. There were a few men gathered around it. Ilsa Von Haupstein was the only woman present.

Now was the moment of truth.

Rasputin stepped up to the altar and reached an arm out. Wrapped around his hand and wrist was a collection of beads that looked like a rosary, but this one was not holy, it was of the dark occult.

He held the length of it over Jacqueline's body, then spoke the simple command, "Rise."

Everyone stood silent, waiting. But nothing miraculous happened.

At the corner of his eye, he saw one of the men shrug at him with his arms out. Kroenen shrugged back.

It couldn't be his fault. He did his job. Maybe it was---

Her eyes opened and stared up at the ceiling. He was elbowed in the ribs when another saw. He didn't look at the man who did it, he had his attention fixed on Jacqueline.

It took a moment more until she finally stirred as if waking from sleep. She looked around, and when she noticed the group near her, her eyes widened and her mouth went agape. She stared at them long, then screamed and scrambled off the altar. She fell off.

She kept her eyes locked on them as she crawled backwards until her back hit a wall. Her eyes were huge and her face horrified, looking at them as if they were monsters.

True, they weren't the prettiest bunch. Kroenen was one of the guilty ones.

As she trapped herself, Kroenen slowly approached her. Her eyes widened more and she breathed harder the closer he got.

He was the strangest of them all in the group. And he had her trapped.

Every muscle was tightened and she was pinned to the wall when she looked up at him. She screamed again and again at the sight of him.

Kroenen knelt down. "Jacqueline, calm down. Calm down." He spoke softly.

Still, she struggled as if the wall was restraining her. She screamed again when he began to reach a gloved hand out to her and then slapped it away. He recoiled but he didn't back down.

"Jacqueline, stop this."

"How do you know my name?" Her voice quivered.

"It's me, Karl. Karl Rupert Kroenen."

She sat there a moment in a trance-like state, then went into a panic again.

"No! No! I know Karl and you're not Karl!"

Of course she wasn't going to believe him. With his mask, he probably looked like a monster to her. Even without it, she might not recognize him with the years that had passed. He was not in his twenties anymore.

"Listen. Listen to my voice. It's me."

He grappled for her flailing hands but she swung at him and smacked him across the side of his mask.

He tried again, and this time she hit his hat, sending it tumbling to the ground. It rolled a few times before it came to a rest.

It was then she jumped to her feet and tried to get past him and the group. She managed to pass him, then she aimed for the others. One man stepped in her path and when he did, the woman threw a fist into his chest. He stumbled a bit, surprised and his breath taken.

She then struck another and shoved him aside. The men laughed as she fought her way through.

_I forgot about this_, Kroenen thought, and then stood.

She ran for the stairs. Kroenen immediately ran after her.

"Get her!"

Ilsa, who was standing nearby missed her, too. Then, as a last resort, he dove for her near the bottom of the stairs. He missed her by inches and landed hard on his chest.

The men laughed behind him.

"She's like greased lightning!"

He ignored them and growled as he pulled himself back to his feet and ran up the stairs after her. His footsteps pounded the stairs as he went up and skipped a step or two with his long legs.

When he came to the top he looked to the left and saw her running down the hall.

"Jacqueline!"

He ran after her and quickly gained speed within only a few strides. He followed glimpses of her white dress and the sound of her heels thumping against the floor as she went down the halls. The turns slowed her a bit, giving Kroenen an advantage.

She screamed when she felt him close in behind her.

Then, he dove for her again. He caught her this time, and the both of them went tumbling to the floor. Kroenen landed with a hand around her ankle. She screamed and struggled but he didn't let go.

"Jacqueline. Jacqueline, it's me."

"No! Get away from me! Get off!"

"Jacq---"

She kicked him across the front of his mask. It would have hurt like hell if he didn't have it on, but he still felt it. And she could have broken it. He was glad she didn't.

He took hold of both of her legs. "That was unnecessary."

"You'll get another one, you . . .you . . ."

"_Karl_," he tried to correct her.

She bucked her legs but he kept his hold on her. "You're not Karl!"

"Just listen to my voice. It may sound a little bit hard to hear but listen. Are you?"

"If you're Karl, show me your face! Show me that you're Karl!" She kicked and he held her.

"Stop it. You're acting like a child."

Suddenly, she stopped. Just like that. She sat there staring at him with clouded blue eyes. She stared at him long as if she was frozen, and then she said slowly, "Karl?"

That made him smile behind his mask.

He nodded. He let go of her and just as he was about to speak, someone said behind him,

"Did you catch her, Kroenen?"

Ilsa. He turned his head to see her walking towards them.

"Seems so." He looked at Ilsa, to Jaqueline then back to Ilsa.

The blonde woman behind him frowned at Jacqueline. "This is her? A screaming maniac?"

He then saw the band coming down the hallway towards them. He could see Rasputin within the group. Kroenen stayed still and he took Jacqueline by the wrist. He felt her tense when he touched her, and kept still as the others approached.

She scanned each of them. She looked at the few who were a bit of an oddity longer. Then, her pale blue eyes widened when Rasputin pushed through them and looked down on her. He stood towering over them like a shadow of a beast, and said, "So you have risen. But do you hold any of your past memories?" It sounded like he was speaking to himself.

She froze again. She did not speak, she just stared up at him.

He was the leader of the band and she knew there was evil in him. She was a smart girl. A good thing to know. But that might be the downfall of bringing her back.

He felt her begin to tug her wrist away from him. He tightened his grip.

"Who are you?" she said. There was a little courage in her voice now.

That's the Jacqueline he knew.

"I am Grigori Rasputin. Tell me, do you know the man beside you?"

She turned her head to look at Kroenen then back at Rasputin. She didn't speak immediately but she nervous managed, "No."

Kroenen gave her a tug.

"Then take your mask off," she said to him. "Take it off!" She aimed a kick at his face but he caught her by the ankle before she could hit him this time. She screamed when he picked her up straight off the ground and held her against his body. She kicked like a wild animal.

"It's just appearances," he said.

"Let me down! Get me out of here!"

A leg came down and she kicked him against his side. Then again. While he struggled with her, Ilsa moved in. While avoiding her dangerous legs, she took something from her pocket and reached for Jacqueline. When he turned his head, he saw Ilsa injecting a needle into her pale skin. He kept hold of her but when she began to weaken and finally stop fighting, he knew what Ilsa had done. He nearly dropped her when she went limp.

"I couldn't stand her screaming anymore," Ilsa said.

Kroenen looked at her a little longer, and with Jacqueline still hanging in his arms, he turned his attention to Rasputin.

"Resurrecting her was simple," Rasputin said. "But will she be just as human before her death and remember who she was."

"I'm sure she will. Just let me spend some time with her."

"I hope you can calm her down," Ilsa said. "The last thing I want to hear is her screaming. If she does, I hate to see what will happen if we resurrect any colleagues like this. And I hope they won't have a gun."

"Prove she will live again," Rasputin then said.

That sounded pleasant to Kroenen's ears.

"Yeah," one of the men said. "I can't stand the other living dead out there; rotting skin, smelling like they could melt the walls---and stupid as hell."

"Give it a rest," Kroenen said to him, and then turned to Rasputin. "I'll see what I can do."


	3. Awake

_Munich, Germany 1918_

She moved quietly and drifted through the University's library like a mouse, holding one of her medical books to her chest as she headed for the study. It was a place that welcomed all of its students peace, but Jacqueline didn't have that in mind. Bringing her book was just a decoy.

Once she entered it, she scanned the area.

And there he was, the blonde beauty she was looking for. He was sitting alone on one side of a lounge sofa with a book on his lap. He was always alone and kept to himself. She never heard him speak a word. There were times she thought he was a mute.

She never asked, she just watched him from a distance.

Sometimes he knew he was being watched and tried to ignore her eyes. Then he up and left when he couldn't stand it anymore.

There was one time she brushed shoulders with him. That was as close as she got with him. Now she was going to get even closer. Like it or not.

Slowly, like a predator, she walked over and dropped herself down onto the free seat next to him. He sat there silent for a few moments, turned his head and said, "Yes?"

Finally! A word!

She began to smile, finally able to hear him speak and being so close. It was like the highlight of her entire life.

"Hello," she said.

He cocked his brows. "Can I help you?"

That smile never left her face. She couldn't get over how beautiful he was. She was close enough to see his blue eyes. His hair was blonde with slight waves in it. He looked a bit older than her. She had no doubt about that; he was tall as hell.

"I always see you here alone," she said. "So, I wanted to finally introduce myself properly. I'm Jacqueline Schults." She held her hand out to him. "And you are?"

He looked at her hand a long moment, then began to draw his own hand to hers, but suddenly pulled away. She watched as he hesitated, then finally he shook her hand. The touch was brief.

"I'm Karl Rupert Kroenen."

"Well, Karl Rupert Kroenen, I'm glad to meet your acquaintance." She passed him a light smile but he didn't return it. He only nodded.

See? she thought. Not so bad.

It could have been left like that (he didn't seem too interested, anyway) but she wasn't going to let it be so simple as hello and goodbye. She wasn't sure if she could get close to him again---and hear him speak. She had to find a reason to stay a bit longer.

She looked down onto what he held in his lap. A book of engineering, it seemed. She looked at it, leaning some, then back to his pretty eyes.

"Engineering," she said as to check if she was correct.

"And others," he said. "You're being rather nosey."

He was getting warmer already.

"It doesn't hurt to get new allies."

"True."

With that, he then held her hand out to him again. "Allies?"

A slight grin creaked out from his lips. He shook her hand again, and it was brief like before. She ignored the flaw though, he was too interesting to let go of, even when she had to leave him. But she always saw him again, and he wasn't alone when she did. She was there. She loved the intelligent conversation---and most of all, that pretty face.

But she didn't see his pretty face anymore after 1920.

* * *

_New York City, 2001_

She woke groggily, and soon stirred hours after her welcoming. Kroenen watched nearby, seated in a chair. He hadn't left her side since they brought her here in his quarters and laid her on the sofa. He watched her intently and with interest. Her skin was pale but not sickly white. Her hair was still soft and looked like it was groomed this morning, with a small blue ribbon tied at the side. She had been buried in a white sleeveless evening dress with a slit down the side of it. Pinned between her collar and bosom was a blue rose, her favorite color. She looked more like a bride than a corpse.

She moved a little bit more, then finally turned her attention in his direction.

Jacqueline suddenly jumped up and scrambled for an escape. She hit her knee on a coffee table as she went.

Kroenen calmly stood. "Jacqueline, calm down." He jogged after her.

When she turned her head and saw him, she shrieked and scrambled for the nearest doorway, which was his lab. She ran for it. He crossed the room after her, and as he neared the doorway, she dove inside. She clattered over a few things. When saw her, she grabbed a knife from a table and aimed it at him.

He paused and made a short stand-off before she launched it at him. Of course, it missed and strayed past him.

He looked back at it, then at Jacqueline. "That's not how you throw a knife," he said.

She stood there shaking, with them in another stand-off. "Get away!" She then ran past him and ran for the other door. She nearly rammed into it. He didn't chase after her, though. It was locked. She was strong for her build and size but she couldn't get past that door. She twisted the knob left and right in a panic and shouldered it a bit, but it got her nowhere.

He walked towards her. "Jacqueline, for the last time, calm down."

She spun around and stared at him with her eyes wide. Her back was pinned to the door. She was shaking.

If he knew she would react so badly, he would have never---

He advanced on her until they were face to face. Her legs looked like they were about to buckle. She looked like she was on the verge of tears but her tear ducts were dry.

He reached a hand out and gently touched her cheek. She flinched against him. "I'm not going to hurt you." His voice was a near whisper.

She stood with her eyes wide a long moment as if she was beginning to listen to him, thinking maybe it was him afterall.

"Promise me that," she said, her voice quivering.

"I don't need to promise you. You should know that. Would the Karl Rupert Kroenen you know hurt you?"

"But you're not---"

He took her face with both hands. "I wish I could kiss you to prove it, but I shouldn't. I can't."

"Why not?"

He took a moment. "I'm not the same as before."

"Which means you are a liar."

"No. The last person I would want to lie to is you, dear."

"Just because you say you're Karl doesn't mean you are him," she said. "How do you know about us?"

He snickered. "We met at the Munich Science University. You and I."

"If you are him, what happened to you? Why do you look like that?" She looked him up and down, and then reached towards his face. He jerked his head back to avoid her hands.

"Time," he said.

She stared at him with a now skeptical look on her face. "Explain yourself."

"Where do I even begin?"

"From the beginning."

She was clever. But it was going to be hard to explain the years that passed---especially when he joined Rasputin's side and his cause. Would she accept him afterwards when she did believe? Perhaps he could keep some of it a secret.

He couldn't bring himself to speak.

"What's wrong? Say something. I don't want to stand here looking at your ugly face all day. You look like a demon."

"I suppose I do now," he said in a soft tone.

She began to push herself against him but she found she couldn't get past. She began to whimper. "Let me go. I want to go. I want to go home!"

"Jacqueline, wait." He held her arms down and after he did, a knock came from behind the door. Both of them paused.

"Doctor Kroenen?"

"Yes?"

He saw Jacqueline glance quickly at him.

"Come outside."

"What is it? I'm busy."

"Rasputin wishes to speak with you."

Kroenen sighed and let go of Jacqueline's arms. She stayed where she was. She had her eyes set on Kroenen.

"Stay here, my dear," Kroenen said. "Don't try to run off and don't touch anything. Touching something here may be more dangerous than trying to escape." He chuckled behind his mask, but Jacqueline didn't see anything funny about it. She was too afraid to consider any humor.

With a free hand, he kept Jacqueline back while he opened the door, and then closed it behind himself.

"Keep an eye on the door," he said to the other man. "She's a tricky one. Now where is Rasputin?"

"Second level, in the master room."

Kroenen nodded and walked off.

* * *

Kroenen's footsteps were light as he walked down the halls and toward the room where his master awaited him. There were tight corners here and it felt like he could sneak up on anyone in his presence without their knowledge. It was rumored such a murderous tactic was used to shut down the mansion and render it abandoned. Perhaps ghosts and poltergeists were the cause, but he hadn't heard about it, and coming from a group such as this, especially Rasputin, he would have known.

But he was a scientist, he had business elsewhere.

He saw Rasputin standing by the doors of a large room. Its carpet was red with gold designs, too---just like every other room. On the ceiling, inside, was a chandelier and at the far end was a fireplace. It possibly had been a dance hall at one time in its life.

Kroenen approached Rasputin. "You were calling for me?"

Rasputin turned his head to him. "Good. Kroenen. What about your subject?"

Kroenen blinked from behind his mask. She was being called a subject now? It sounded so informal. And insulting.

"She woke just recently. In this short amount of time she already has shown slight improvement. Her skin has gained some color. She, however, hasn't told me any memory of her past. She knows the name Karl Rupert Kroenen but she denies it's me. I don't blame her. It's just the shock."

Rasputin slowly nodded. "I want to see more."

"So do I. Just give me a little more time---"

"Let me see her."

Kroenen held a hand out in a stopping motion. "Not yet. Let her settle first. I need to observe her. It's looking good so far. She'll come around. She'll remember me, some time or so."

Rasputin looked at him with the eyes of a dark master. But Kroenen wasn't one who coward at his glare.

"I hope your theory works," Rasputin said, glowering.

He nodded. "It will, I assure you. I will let you know about her progress."

That glare again. "Then go."

Relieved, Kroenen backed away and walked off. As he did, he heard voices talking amongst themselves. They sounded like ghosts but they were real. He listened to them a moment, then paused when he reached the middle of the hall. There were at least three voices. They sounded familiar. Then he heard Rasputin---and his own name being said.

He turned a corner and listened. He heard his name again, talk of soldiers, the project, questions who could be more valuable; he heard the subject of Jacqueline, but they didn't use her name, they just called her "the girl".

Then: "Or is this for his own objective?"

"If it doesn't work, what do we do with her? She's no good to us."

There was a long moment of silence. Kroenen listened in hard. The response felt longer than it really was.

"Get rid of her."

Get rid of her? What did they really mean by that?

Kroenen got going again. He walked fast this time, then broke into a jog to the door where he left the other man to guard. When he saw him approaching, the man quickly came to attention.

Kroenen halted. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes . . .What about you, Doctor Kroenen? You came here like there was a fire."

"It's nothing. Was she any trouble?"

The man smirked. "She was screaming and ranting in there. She was pounding on the door. I had to brace it just in case she did manage to get that lock undone. By the way, she's got a colorful vocabulary." He smiled.

I wouldn't be surprised, Kroenen said to himself.

When he took the knob, the man said, "She needs a bath. She smells like hell."

Kroenen relaxed the knob and looked at him. "Well, she did come from the dead. I'll let her know." He slowly opened the door, and peeking through the crack as it widened, he glanced around for Jacqueline, who might be waiting for the chance to escape.

She wasn't there. She wasn't in sight at all.

He stood in front of the door and closed it with one hand behind his back, and locked it.

"Jacqueline? Are you here?"

No answer.

"Don't hide." He stepped further inside and began searching for her. He looked behind the furniture and even outside to the balcony, but found nothing. Then, when he returned inside he heard a scream.

He jerked his head towards it. It was coming from his lab.

She never listens, does she?

He ran for it and inside he found Jacqueline sitting on one of the tables with her legs drawn up. There were instruments knocked on the floor and scattered around her. She looked like a comical version of someone who had seen a mouse scurry in front of her. But it wasn't a mouse that scared her, it was the robot he let roam the room, and it was attached to the bottom of her dress, trying to climb up it. She was kicking at it and screaming.

He forgot about the damned thing.

He quickly reached for it and yanked it off like it was Velcro, and then threw it. The robot hit the wall and clattered to the floor. It didn't turn itself over after that, it only twitched its legs like a dying bug.

He turned to Jacqueline. "What are you doing in here?"

She still was curled into her position and staring wide-eyed at him. "What was that thing?"

He looked at the damaged robot across the room. "Well, it _was _one of my inventions."

"It attacks people?"

"I didn't know it was territorial," he said thoughtfully. "They're not supposed to be aggressive. They're only meant to observe." He shrugged.

"Observe what?" she asked.

He waved her off. "Don't concern yourself." He noticed she wasn't panicking as before, she was only on defense now. She noticed this, too. She looked at him and studied him from head to toe.

He reached a hand out to her. "Do you want some help down?"

She looked at his gloved hand, and then slowly took it.

"Good."

She leapt down with his help and knocked a few more instruments onto the floor. He kept his hand around her as she landed and stood with him. He was then left face to face with her with the woman.

She was beautiful---for the living dead.

Staring back, she noticed how close she was to him---and his mask---and tried to pull away. Kroenen kept his grip on her, although.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

She didn't answer and just stared.

"Let's get out of here." He gave her a tug, led her out the lab, and pulled her across the room to the lounge sofa. He gestured her to it. "Sit."

She swallowed hard, and not letting go, she slowly sat down. They remained there, him standing and her sitting with their hands connected. It reminded him of the days they were young---before she died---before he---

"Are you going to run off?" he asked.

She didn't speak and shook her head.

"Well, I'll make sure you don't. I'll get you something that you can occupy yourself with." He sat down next to her and finally let go.

She didn't run away.

* * *

He watched in amusement as Jacqueline laid on the sofa, holding a book above her face, reading it. She reminded him of a cat playing with a new toy. On a coffee table was a collection of medical books, and one or two history books---to catch up on what she missed. She was more interested in the medical books than the history books. She mainly read about WWII when she picked up the others. When she did, and he was present, she glanced at him. Once in a while he caught a frown.

She was getting used to him, but she still denied him. For now she called him "You".

He kept his patience, but when will Rasputin loose his?

Something told him---soon.

This time Jacqueline was in a good mood and pretended Kroenen wasn't in the same room as she.

She was improving, though and acted like her old self rather than a coward. Still, she had her moments.

She had gotten more color back and her eyes were less clouded. It was going the way Rasputin wanted---and _he _was pleased, too. Now if only he could ask his question. But not yet. She couldn't even admit he was her lover. He would anxiously have to wait. At least he had her here and now.

A leg went bouncing, and then stopped. She gasped and fumbled through the pages of the book she had.

She paused a long moment, then she slowly turned her head to him. She stared at him, then threw the book at him. He had to side-step it as it went flying his way.

He caught a nasty look on her face, and then looked down on the book she threw. It was labeled, "Rise of the Nazis".

He looked back up at her.

"Bastard," she mumbled.


	4. Let's Dance

_Munich, Germany 1918_

Jacqueline considered herself too much of a tomboy to dress herself up like a doll and attend formal socials, but she decided to break the habit. It was because curiosity got the best of her. The flyers for the social ball were posted all over the campus and there was a copy left on a stand from her roommate. It stared at her everyday as a reminder. Then, two days ago, she finally gave in. Plus, she thought a certain someone might be interested, according to Karl's past as a singer when he was a child. She had no doubt he attended such things then. He might even give her a few pointers while she was there, but it was her roommate, Rosa, who explained it all in the female's perspective.

She didn't own a formal dress, so she borrowed one from Rosa. She seemed more than willing to give it to her. She supposed Rosa wanted to see her in a dress for herself. It was pale blue, almost white, and had a wide V-shaped top that reached down just enough to avoid showing her cleavage. The only part of her arms that was covered was between her shoulders and elbows. The hem of it came at a perfect stop. She'd hate to dirty it up or rip it. She had no doubt the dress was expensive.

She gave her lips a slight dab of red of red lipstick, and then looked herself in the mirror. Her hair was groomed in near perfection, but then the rest of her face made her want to run away from the mirror. She thought the blush on her cheekbones rang out too much and the fresh lipstick was red like she had licked blood. She immediately wiped it off with the back of her hand, and she splashed water on her face until it was naked again. She looked at her hand which had the lipstick smeared on it and cleaned it off with the nearest towel.

_That was a disaster_, she thought, and walked out of the bathroom. She smoothed out her skirt, and then looked at the door across the room. _Alright_, she said to herself, _don't make an idiot out of yourself, Jacqueline. No worries, Karl will be there. And I might see Rosa. It's her fault I'm getting into this mess. And this get-up. _

She paced two rounds before she listened for an expected knock at the door, but nothing came. She anxiously tapped her foot and fiddled with her skirt before she headed for the door and peeked out.

No Karl. Oh, but she had to see him and this ball soon.

Too anxious to wait, she stepped outside and headed downstairs to the outside. When she pushed one of the double doors open, she saw the first snow of winter floating down onto the earth. And then she saw Karl just starting up the base of the steps to the front doors. He halted once he saw her.

"Am I late, or you?" he asked.

"We're both on time."

He then climbed up the stairs until they were face to face. Karl looked her head to toe. When he looked up, she saw a grin on his face.

"Don't laugh," she said with a frown, and then punched him on his arm hard.

He recoiled and held the spot where she hit him. "I wasn't going to laugh."

"It looked like you were about to!"

He shook his head with a smile on his face. "It was only because I never seen you this way."

She fiddled with her skirt and blushed. "I know. It's rare I wear such things."

He noticed her awkwardness and jokingly said, "You look ridiculous."

A fire suddenly set inside her. "You bastard!" She launched for him and Karl luckily escaped with two quick side-ways jumps.

He let out a few snickers, not cautious of her annoyance this time. "I was only kidding, my dear. You look beautiful. You're . . .dashing."

"Are you being serious this time?" She looked at him from under her brows.

He nodded but displayed no smile this time, afraid she would take it as offense and punch him again. Dodging punches in the snow wasn't easy.

She stood with her fist cocked back a moment before she lowered it and sighed. While her defense was down, Karl returned to her and put his arms on her shoulders. When he touched her, it melted away her anger.

"If you're still going, come with me," he said. "It's cold out here."

A tiny smile managed its way from her lips. "Not anymore. But yes, let's go."

He nodded and took her arm. He guided her down the steps and started down a concrete pathway with Jacqueline close at his side.

* * *

Goosebumps rode along her skin as she and Karl walked side by side down the snow-dusted grounds. She could see the warm glow of the lights of the hall, which beckoned her like a moth. She was beginning to think dressing herself up wasn't so bad afterall. She could have gone rave-stalking naked if she needed to test the waters of the event. It was ironically in celebration of the winter---a benefit, really.

Jacqueline craned her head around as they passed the large water fountain where they always met. Its stone structure was dusted in snow, giving it a charming and magical look. Jacqueline smiled, and then turned her head forward the closer they came to the building. And when they neared, Karl suddenly began to slow and pulled back. Jacqueline ignored it at first, but then she finally stopped. "Karl? What is it?"

He stood there, staring at the front of the building and the small group of people at the top of the steps. He looked around, then back at her. "I'm sorry." He started again and guided her up, only to hesitate once more. He stopped by the door and glanced around.

"Karl?"

Jacqueline tugged him inside. She was enthusiastic now that they were here, but what was going on with him? She would think he was used to this.

"Come on. Come on." She pulled him harder until they reached the room where the ball was held. The crowd was large but not exactly extravagant. Every woman was dressed in an evening dress and the men in suits. There were tables lined up on one side for drinks and appetizers.

The ballroom was more modest than the one her mother took her when she was a child. It was what she hoped for, and now she looked forward to this one, oddly. She looked on with child-like eyes, until she noticed Karl wasn't as comfortable as she thought he would be. He was standing with his eyes darting every which way, looking like a deer in the sights of a predator.

She watched as he took a step back when someone bumped into him while passing by. He jumped and put a hand where the man touched him. He backed up two more steps and dodged a few more people. Near him, someone coughed which made him cringe in disgust.

"Let's step outside," he said, remembering she was here with him. "It's better outside."

"But we just got here!" She stared at him and looked more carefully. It looked like he was on the verge of a panic attack. But over what? Karl never acted like this before.

"I'm going outside," he said, and turned.

"Karl!" She followed him out and grabbed him by the arm. "Where are you going?"

He looked back at her. "I'd rather be out here."

There was a lie in there.

He pulled away from her and walked off, leaving her behind. She watched him before she ran after him---carefully not to fall on her heels.

She managed to catch up to his side. "Karl, what is it, really? There was something on your face---"

He ignored her as if she didn't exist and kept walking. She stayed with him, though.

Then, he stopped. He stood beside the half-frozen fountain and looked at it, then sat on the edge. He ducked his head while looking down on his shoes. She watched him in sympathy.

What happened back there?

"Karl---"

He rose and focused his attention on her. His eyes were calm and intelligent, and they didn't leave her. He then held a hand to out her, which she took. Her hand began to warm within his.

"Jacqueline, would you like to dance?"

She blinked at him, glance back to the building where they came, then back to him. "I rarely dance, you know. I have a feeling you've learned a few things."

He nodded.

"Then let's go," she said and began to turn but Karl pulled her back.

"Not there," he said.

"But---"

"I know we just came from there. If you want to stay, stay, but I feel my place is not there."

"I thought you would be familiar with something like that."

He hesitated. "Not anymore. Will you still take my offer?" He gave her hand a quick squeeze.

She looked at their connected hands and smiled. "Yes, sir, I accept. Let's dance."

He promptly trotted sideways, taking her with him. She kept her footing and followed his steps, awkward at first, but then she made up as they went. He spun her, stepped back and forth, side to side.

The chill and the frozen snowflakes descending stung her skin until she began to numb in places, but that didn't matter. She didn't need to feel when she was here---like this---dancing to no music but to the crunch of the snow under them when they stepped on it and while the water of the fountain trinkled.

She closed her eyes once in a while as she followed his steps. Her body was close to his, pulling in as much of his heat as she could. They moved swiftly together in unison.

She felt like she was flying.

---Then, she felt like she was drowning.


	5. First Snow, Second Dance

_New York, 2001_

Jacqueline woke from her daydreaming, coughing and gasping for air as water began to submerge her. The vision of her and Karl's first night of romance faded when she lifted her head, fighting the water, and sat up in the tub. Then, she came back to the cruel reality when she looked around the room. She was in this terrible place again. She sat naked in an old tub in one of the mansion's bathrooms. The walls were dirty and dusty, and some of the tiles on the floor were cracked. But it was the best she could get from a place like this.

She wrapped her arms over her breasts. The water had gone cooler since it had been drawn; the plumbing barely supplied warm water anyway.

She wondered how long she had been daydreaming---and thought, not too long; she hadn't gone over the whole night. But at least she remembered the first part. The rest was . . . a bit private. She could imagine about that later---when nobody was around, especially around that--- She didn't want him (or it) asking why she was grinning or staring out with a dreamy look on her face. She didn't want him asking any damn question. He was being too nosey.

She stepped out of the tub, leaving a pool of water on the floor and reached for the nearest towel. She wrapped it around herself and scrubbed herself dry. She then dressed herself in a white dress, but not the same one she was buried in. This one was more form-fitting. She found the dress exciting, actually. It showed her bare arms and a portion of her legs along the side.

She then went to the mirror and cleaned the surface until she saw her reflection. Her hair lay heavy down to her shoulders and a pair of pale blue eyes looked back at her. Her skin was a bit pale but better than she first woke. But the man, or whatever he was, said her pigmentation would return to normal soon.

She hoped that was true. She wasn't feeling like herself. It was worse than feeling sick. She couldn't even feel the cold of the water.

She rubbed the towel through her hair and groomed it. The natural waves began to show and she tried to curl up the ends by hand. It didn't turn out the way she wanted it, but it would have to do. Who was she trying to impress? Not that man.

After she was through, she headed for the door where she knew he would be waiting by it, guarding it.

She slowly opened it. She saw another man with the one who had been watching over her. He was more like a keeper than a guardian he tried to make himself out to be.

She peeked out through the crack and heard him say, "Bring me the head of Herman Von---" He paused and looked behind himself, then waved the other man off. The two acted very secretive. It was interesting.

"What was that?" she asked in curiosity.

"Some things you shouldn't nose into. Are you through? You're looking better." It sounded like a compliment.

"What now?" She waited for his next plan for her.

He looked around in a cautious way before he said, "I'll take you back to the room."

She sighed and let him. She kept close as he led her inside, then stopped and stood like a guard with his feet together. She began to walk a few steps further inside, then paused when there was a quick and brief knock at the door. She watched as the man in the mask cracked the door open then exchanged whispers to another.

It was actually exciting. It was like she was in a mystery or thriller novel. No, horror.

Then, the man in the mask turned his head to her. "Jacqueline, stay in here. I will be right back. I need to speak with someone." He then stepped outside and left her standing alone in the eerie, quiet room.

_He'll be right back_, she said to herself_. He hasn't hurt you. He's being nice so far---_

She noticed she was relying on him. She was trusting him too much. This man---who may not be human at all behind that mask--- She still wanted to rip the damn thing off and see what he really looked like.

She stood there, watching the door and waited for him. She then began to pace when he didn't show. She paced the whole room. She walked to the glass doors and looked out. It was then her eyes flashed in wonderment like a child. She stared and stood still for a long moment of time. For the first time since she came here, she was smiling willingly.

It was snowing.

* * *

Kroenen caught up with the man and walked by his side. He kept from calling his name from across the hall or touching him when he reached him to avoid drawing attention. Instead, he walked fast after him until they were side by side. His eyes darted cautiously before he spoke.

"It's important that I find him," Kroenen whispered. "Last time I heard his head was in South America. Can you find it?"

"I'll see what I can do."

Kroenen waited a few moments before he spoke again. "I need to keep this short." His eyes wandered. "The walls may have ears and they may not like the idea---" He cut himself short when a sensation went over him. It was the feeling of being watched; it was like it was coming from every direction. He looked around and listened but he couldn't find the source.

He suddenly stopped. "Is anyone here?" he asked the air.

"Kroenen, what are you---"

He silenced him with a gesture of a hand. Kroenen continued to listen but there was nothing.

"I know someone's there," he muttered.

Then, at the corner of his eye, he saw movement. He quickly turned his head, and there at the end of the hall stood a woman in white. She was pure white. She stared back at him with blue and white-lit eyes. Upon further inspection, he saw she was translucent.

A ghost.

He continued to stare at the entity. "So the rumors are true," he said.

"What?"

He glanced at his partner. "Didn't you see---" He pointed towards the ghost but when he did, she was gone. "Nothing." He returned his attention to the other man then walked away. "Do what I say."

The man stood and watched as he went.

* * *

Kroenen returned to the room and entered quietly. The room was silent and he didn't see a sighting of Jacqueline, which unsettled him. Her trust in him wasn't pure, although she behaved more sanely. He still kept an eye out of her, especially around unlocked doors.

"Jacqueline?" He walked further inside but the room remained silent and still. He walked through it, peeking around the furniture. Then, he looked at the doorway to his lab. Could she have gone in there again? But why would she do that after going in there the first time?

Might as well check.

He walked towards it, and then halted. He saw movement and turned his head. He noticed the glass door was cracked open and the curtain was fluttering with the wind. He looked at it skeptically, then walked to it. He pushed the door open and looked into the snow-covered balcony. He looked left and right, and then against the wall, he saw Jacqueline sitting in the snow with her knees drawn up to her chest, staring out into the horizon. She barely blinked.

"Jacqueline?" He walked to her and stood in front of her. "What are you doing out here? You'll freeze."

"I can't feel anything," she said meekly. "Besides, I like the snow."

"You do, don't you?"

Her head shot up. "Why are you agreeing with me so much?"

"Because it's true."

She laid her chin back on her hands again. "Go away."

He stared down on her a long moment before he crouched down in front of her, and then took his hat off and put it on her head. The visor dipped over her eyes comically, which made him smile.

"Now you look ridiculous," he said.

She lifted the hat back a bit so she could see. "_You_ look ridiculous." She frowned.

He snickered behind his mask.

"What are you laughing about?"

"Nothing. Nothing." He stood and held a hand to her. "Come inside."

"I'd rather stay out here."

He crossed his arms. "Well, I'm not going to leave until you do."

She stared at him with a look that said: _Go to hell._

He shook his head. "Then that leaves me no choice." He took both of her hands and pulled her to her feet. She tried to resist him but he held her close. He held her at dancers' length.

He began to take a step toward the door, but then stopped. "Perhaps it is better out here." He smiled and wished she could see it. "It snowed when we danced. Remember?"

Her mouth suddenly dropped and her mouth gaped into shock. She didn't take them off him.

"You're not making that up, are you?" she asked him.

"Do I need to prove it to you?"

She blinked but said nothing.

"Well in that case, let's dance." With that, he let go of one hand and put it around the small of her back, and then got his feet moving. The sudden take off startled her but she kept her footing and followed him. Her footsteps were reluctant at first but then flowed with him as he led her. Her legs loosened and didn't fight as they moved back and forth. She let him spin her and followed the move. When he sent her out, she rolled back into him, and she placed her hands against his body. By then, she stared up at him with startled awe.

She suddenly pulled away and pinned her back against the wall. He stood calmly as she looked at him. She was shaking but not from the cold. Her mouth worked but nothing came out at first. Then, by his surprise, tears fell from her eyes.

Kroenen waited for her.

"K-Karl?"

"Yes?"

She darted to him and wrapped her arms around him tightly in an embrace. She squeezed him, then when he was about to touch her, she pulled away and ran to the edge of the balcony. She leaned over it like she was going to vomit. He watched her a moment before he walked to her side. She had her head pulled down while she breathed heavily. Frozen breath puffed from her mouth like steam of a locomotive. He watched the tears in her eyes and reached a hand out, but he suddenly stopped when she turned her head to him.

"It's you," she muttered, "It's you . . ."

She didn't take her eyes off him, and after a long gaze between them, she looked him up and down as if she saw him for the first time. "What happened to you?" Her voice was timid.

"Well, things weren't the same after the last time we saw each other."

"You mean died."

She actually accepted the fact now? Perhaps when she discovered it was him afterall, she believed she had died, too.

"Yes, in a sense. It began after I graduated from the University . . ."

"Was it because I . . .died?" She grimaced at the last word.

"Don't get a head of yourself."

She suddenly swung a fist at his shoulder but he dodged it. She stumbled a bit, then looked at him, shocked. "You're fast."

"Well, fighting in a war did come in handy."

"I still think you're a pussy-cat." She smiled.

"Keep in mind, dear, things have changed."

"I read those books---"

"That's only a few things." He turned his head into the distance. "Here, this is year 2001---"

"2000?"

"Plus one."

She narrowed an eye at him. "What hasn't changed is your smart-ass ways."

"Such language," he muttered. "I suppose I forgot a few things over time."

Then, a sneaky grin appeared on her face. "With you're age now, I wouldn't doubt it---"

He put a finger up. "Let me explain that---"

She suddenly reached for his mask like a striking snake, but he escaped her fingers by quickly leaning backwards. He moved like he was dodging a punch, but it was just as important, if more.

He grabbed one wrist as it began to return to its owner, and held it. "One thing, I am not old," he said. "And second, don't touch my mask."

"But I only wanted to see---"

"That privilege is gone now, my dear."

She stared at him long without saying a word, and then closed her eyes. When she opened them she smiled with a pleased look on her face. It was like a warm breeze brushed her.

"And what you knew is gone, too," he said in his calmly matter. "As you have seen." He reached a hand out and touched her chin gently. The touch was feather-light. The glass of tears returned to her eyes. It was odd to see her this way. He had never seen her cry.

"Jacqueline? Do you know why I brought you here? Why I chose you to bring you back to life?"

She shook her head.

"I want to know something," he said.

"What do you want?"

"The day I heard you were dead, I never found out how you died. Jacqueline, how did you die?"

She said nothing.

"Jacqueline?"

She suddenly ripped out of his hand and trotted back inside. He watched her back until she disappeared, then followed. Inside, he saw her sitting down on the floor with her back to the wall. Her legs were drawn, her head was down, and she was holding her stomach. The hat on her head hid her face.

He stopped beside her and bent down. "What's wrong?"

She ignored him.

He kept his patience and after a few seconds, he tilted her hat back. Her eyes were set forward and emotionless.

"Stand up," he ordered her, then took by one hand and pulled her to her feet like a parent pulling his pouting child up. He led her back outside and to the edge of the balcony again. "I want to know. But it seems it's going to be hard getting an answer out of you. Why is that?"

She turned her head to him. "You might be angry."

"I don't see why, but you can try me."

Her eyes looked him up and down but she didn't speak.

He sighed and placed a hand on her back. "When you tell me, I may be able to take you home."

She blinked at him several times, then began to open her mouth to speak but closed it.

"All right," he said, "you can tell me later. There are more important things to worry about now that it crosses my mind." He turned his head into the distance. He, too, went silent a moment. "I resurrected you not only because I wanted to know how or why you died but also to test if the dead can be risen, and become the human they once were. Now that you are here and what I see before me, it works---with the help of Rasputin, that is."

"That man? The one with the beard?"

He nodded.

"I don't like him. I felt a strange vibe when I first saw him. I knew he was evil."

Kroenen pulled her closer and leaned a bit. He saw her looking deep at his lenses, trying to find his eyes.

"He sees it works, too, but there is a problem." He paused and wondered how he could get past his words without startling her, but he had no choice. "The project was to resurrect an army. And you are no soldier or . . .any way use to him so . . .he plans to get _rid_ of you. I have a feeling what he means."

"I think I do, too.

"It's why I brought you out here," he continued. "Before they even consider, I want to get you out of here. When I say run, you run. Do you understand?"

She nodded. "And after that?"

He took a moment. "I'll find you. I'll find a way out for you."

She stared into his eyes, well, as much she could find, and then said, "Karl? I'm sorry."

"No, I'm the one who should be sorry. Sometimes the dead are better off dead."

"No." She shook her head. "I'm sorry."


	6. Run

Kroenen felt somewhat guilty for telling Jacqueline what may lie waiting for her, but some things were a necessary evil. He knew that.

With her arms crossed and her head down, she walked back into the room with Kroenen following. She then stopped and stared down onto the floor. He could only imagine what was going on inside her head. But before he could wander into her state of mind, he held a gloved hand out to her. "I'm hoping you will be interested in a tour of the estate," he said.

She passed him a confused look. "I don't think now is a good time for a tour, Karl. After what you told me?"

"Come with me," he said, still holding his hand out to her.

She looked at his open hand with her brows down and a frown upon her face. Then, she took his offered hand.

"Thank you," he said, then pulled her to the door. "Come."

He stopped at the threshold and looked down the hall, checking for any fellow bodies.

All clear.

He turned back to her. "Now," he said, "don't run off. Promise?"

"Promise."

"Well, you won't get very far anyways. I _am _faster than you."

She tilted her head and narrowed an eye as she looked at him. "That's because you run from me. On the other hand . . ." She suddenly lunged for the doorway, but Kroenen grabbed her by the arm with a single hand before she could get past him, and pulled her back.

"I saw that coming," he muttered.

"Right," she said in a defeated way. "You _are _faster." She glanced briefly towards the balcony where he had proved his quickness earlier.

He smiled in an "_I'm always right_" way---but she couldn't see it.

She then closed her eyes and opened them again, leaving a quirk on her face and her hands on her hips. "Don't give me that look!"

He suddenly jerked. "How did you . . ."

"I can read you like a book, even with your face covered." Her voice was sharp.

"So you think."

"Liar."

He began to pull her. "Enough. Let's go."

She tried to resist him, but when they stepped into the hallway, she began to relax.

"Now, stay with me," he said. "Remember what I said." He leaned a bit closer to her and began to turn. "Now pay attention where we go and that will lead you to your exit. Understand?"

She nodded and locked her eyes forward.

"Follow this hall and turn down the first corner," he said as he led her. "Then go to the far end of this hall and turn left. Take these stairs down to the bottom." He led her down to the base and to the vast front room with black and white checkered floor. He then looked left and right. "Quiet," he mused. _That's good_, he told himself and finally made cautious steps to the double wooden doors ahead. He placed his hands flat on the surface, looked around, and then slowly pushed it open.

The grounds were covered in snow, but he had a feeling the falling snow wasn't through. The pathway to the front of the mansion was faint, and the two crouching lions guarding the iron gate ahead were dusted in snow, with their mouths gaped in a silent roar.

He noticed something above, and looked up. There, hanging above the doors was a large banner with a swastika on the center.

"Might as well put a sign up saying _shoot me_," he muttered in dull humor.

Jacqueline began to pull forward. "Why can't I go now?"

Kroenen pulled her back. "No. When I say run, you run." He leaned down closer to her. "We must be discrete."

"Like before?"

"What?"

"You and the other man."

"Mind yourself," he said, then looked around. "Inside." He didn't touch her this time and turned his back on her. He put his hands behind his back. "Now, you lead the way back."

She did, running ahead of him first, then slowed once she reached the halls. Kroenen kept close.

* * *

Jacqueline regained her composure---and confidence after their walk together, which was more than pleasant to Kroenen, despite its direness. Now that she opened her trust and eyes to him, she was becoming the Jacqueline he left behind. No, she had been her all this; she just had to wake up. And finally, she woke.

He no longer cared about what Rasputin wanted. His job was done here. But what would happen when he found about her progression? What then, genius?

_I've got it handled, _he said to himself. _All I have to do is say run._

And then?

_All right, maybe I don't have it all planned out yet. But I will think of something._

He looked down on Jacqueline who was seated on the sofa, watching every movement he made. She was more or less studying _him _than her situation. Her gray-blue eyes darted along when he paced. He didn't need to guess what she was trying to read. She said she could read him like a book, but that wasn't going to be so easy anymore. Things had changed. _He_ had changed. And he didn't want her to know.

He stood still with his hands hooked behind his back. He stared out, his mind searching for an answer.

"Karl?"

He turned his head to her. He saw her begin to open her mouth to speak, but then quickly shut it when a knock came from behind the door. Then, it opened. "Kroenen, come here," a man said.

Kroenen glanced at Jacqueline, then bobbed a hand up and down, signaling her to stay seated. He crossed the room to the door. "What is it?" He already had a feeling what it was about.

"Come outside," he said.

Kroenen glanced outside the hall and saw Ilsa with the man. He was calmly interested, then.

He glanced back at Jacqueline, and then back to the two before him. He stepped out with them and closed the door behind himself. "Why am I being interrupted so often?" he muttered.

Ilsa glared at him. "You know why, Karl." She nodded to the door. "Let us see her." She began to step forward but Kroenen blocked her.

"There's nothing to see," he said.

"Then there's no progression," she said. "You said your theory was that the resurrected would recover at a fast rate of time. How long has it been now?"

"This if the first one, Ilsa. If you want another subject, fine with me. Although this one---"

"You know," she interrupted, "Well."

"That was the whole point. It may help to have a few soldiers Rasputin wants sane and capable of using their own minds. She may be no soldier, but---"

"Karl, move," Ilsa demanded, already growing irritated. "Rasputin wants to see---" She tried again to push through him but he blocked her way by putting one hand against the door. "Don't. She only trusts me . . ."

"Wait," the other man said. "If she only trusts you, then if we resurrect other loyal soldiers for the master they'll follow him. Well done, Kroenen!"

_Now I feel stupid_, he said to himself.

"I'll let Rasputin know about this. No, _we _will." The man turned and started down the hall. Ilsa walked after him. Meanwhile, Kroenen kept his hand braced against the door, watching them.

Ilsa stopped and looked at him from over her shoulder. "Karl, come."

_I'm starting to feel like a dog,_ he thought, and followed promptly.

* * *

Grigori Rasputin watched from the corner of a hall while Kroenen was led out the room and away. Something was going on with the scientist. He sensed secrets, especially about the girl he had resurrected. He had told him nothing and avoided him when he had the chance. It was odd. Kroenen wasn't so evasive all the time, but lately . . .

What was he being so coy about?

He waited a few moments more before he stepped into the hall and walked to the door and gave the brass knob a slow twist.

* * *

She watched anxiously as Karl was pulled away into the hall and out of sight. She stared at the door afterwards, seated stiffly on the sofa with her hands on her lap. She waited for the door to open again, but it didn't.

"Karl," she whispered under her breath.

She could barely see the man she fell in love with but some creature in a mask with his voice. She couldn't see his face and his blue eyes that locked with hers. She couldn't see any eyes at all, just two yellow inhuman lenses. She couldn't stop but think of what happened to him, what would lead him to look such a way or even become apart of these people. Who exactly were they to have the power to change him?

She suddenly jumped when the door opened. She suspected Karl, but someone else, someone sinister entered the room like a phantom. In a split second, she vaulted behind the sofa in a surprisingly smooth movement and landed awkwardly on the floor as if someone dumped her there.

She laid there, then picked herself up and looked towards the door. When she saw who entered, her heart began to pound rapidly. She froze for a moment, then she came to again. The closest hiding spot was underneath the sofa. It wasn't the most dignified place, but she had no choice at the moment.

She went for it, crawling on her belly, and slid under it. It was a tight fit but it worked---until she would be spotted.

Her eyes widened when she saw the man Karl called Rasputin inside the room with her. He turned his head left and right in search of her like a stalking animal. He moved slowly and inspected the room thoroughly. He checked the closest place where she may be: Karl's lab.

_Yes, yes, _she thought to herself. _Go in there._

He did. Jacqueline then began to slide out from under her hiding spot, then paused to check if he was on his way out. Nothing yet.

Now was the time to move. Keeping her eyes on Karl's lab, she climbed to her feet, removed her shoes, and ran for the door. She caught a glance of Rasputin as she passed the lab, but she hoped he didn't see her.

She ran into the hallway on bare feet, turning left first out the door as Karl had instructed her. She ran fast with her feet slapping against the carpet while her mind rewound back to Karl's instructions. She turned corners, left, right, downstairs. When she finally reached the top of the stairs that led the way out, she pounced down them; but one caught her foot and sent her on the floor on her backside.

She straightened her hat, then slid her shoes on while she was there, then ran the rest of the way. She shoved the doors open and ran down the snow-covered pathway to the iron gates ahead. She glanced back at the mansion to see if anyone was in pursuit of her. No one was there. Still, she picked up her pace and made her way out, taking a right turn and away down a solo sidestreet.

_You better find me, Karl,_ she said as she ran.

* * *

She ran farther and farther away from the mansion as fast as she could. She looked back once in a while but saw no one following. Still, she ran as if there was someone on her heels. Ahead, she could see buildings reaching for the sky with lights decorating them. It looked vast and confusing, far larger than the cities she had been to in Germany. But perhaps it was be her only salvation.

She advanced towards it, away from the solitude---and madness of the mansion.

Madness. That was exactly what it was. And it was all because of her. She was dead but alive and to live with what was dead inside her. Now, she was surrounded by evil.

_This is hell_, she said to herself. _I died and I've gone to hell._

She then screamed into the air: "THIS IS HELL! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!"

She ran into the city, and as she did, a sensation began to crawl across her skin. It stung and tingled. Then, she understood what it was: She was cold.

Karl was right. Her body and sensations had come back to her.

She wrapped her arms around herself and ducked her head as she continued to run. It wouldn't be long before her legs became too weak and too cold to go on. And then what? She couldn't cover up her tracks unless the snow fell harder. Once they noticed she was gone, she was certain they would pursue her like a dog.

The snowflakes brushed her face as they fell against her skin, but there was no caress when each flake touched her. This time, the snow seemed to be just as dark as the world she woke up to. It wasn't beautiful and pure. ---Like her. She wouldn't be surprised if it was poison.

_Then let it be poison,_ she thought. _Open your mouth and eat it!_

Beside the streets, lined bumper to bumper were vehicles---strange looking vehicles half-covered in the snow. They were sleek and slender.

She looked at each one as she passed them. Then, at the corner of her eye, she noticed four men in her path. She skidded to move out of their way, but nearly fell. She stumbled a bit to get her balance, and then looked up at them. Two had a shaven head and there was a blonde who had his hair cut so short he nearly looked bald like the others. All of them were fairly young, in their twenties, at least.

She saw they were wearing a red band with a twisted cross on their sleeves, the same emblem she saw in the mansion. One even had a hat similar to Karl's.

She took a step back. "Are you with them?"

They smiled. "Looks like you're apart of us, right?"

One stepped forward and took her arm. That was when she finally let her rage come out. "Get off me you . . ._Nazi_!" She punched him across the cheek and pushed through him. She ran past the other three and down the street. She ran just as fast as she did when she first escaped the mansion. She glanced back at them, but they didn't follow, they just stood there stupidly.

Her lungs struggled now. She breathed deeply for air and they ached at each inhale.

When she tilted her head back for another breath, a those car came towards her while she was in its path. She gasped and hurriedly dodged to the side before either of them could collide into one another. They came inches from one another. Jacqueline felt wet snow splash against the side of her face.

She stumbled onto the sidestreet and hit her back against the wall. She stood there a moment before she began to scoot along with her hands pinned against its rough surface.

She glanced around for another danger, then followed the wall to its ending: an alley.

She went into it, and that was when she and her body gave in. She pressed her back against the wall and slowly slid down onto the ground with her knees to her chest. She then began to cry with warm tears falling like streams against her cold, almost numb skin.

She sat there, crying softly to herself while the snow fell on her. Her toes and hands began to numb first--- But she thought hell was supposed to be fire and brimstone.

She heard single footsteps approaching. Maybe it was Karl.

When they stopped, she picked her head up, but found it wasn't Karl. It was a black-haired woman in a duster. It wasn't a double-breasted duster like Karl wore, and she wasn't wearing one of those emblems.

The woman held an expression of concern on her face.

"I'm not homeless," Jacqueline said.

Without saying a word, the woman held out her hands out to her, palms up as if she was holding something, but there was nothing there. Then, by her surprise, a ball of flames formed in her hands. Jacqueline's eyes widened, but there was no fear in them. The fire was enticing.

Like a moth to a flame, she moved her hands towards it and held them there to warm herself.

* * *

"Kroenen! Doctor Kroenen! We have a problem!"

Kroenen stopped along with his two escorts when his name was called in alarm, and looked at a man running towards him.

"What is it?" he asked. He was getting tired of the others calling after him. He might as well change his name.

"The girl! She's gone! Rasputin checked the room while you were gone and didn't see her there."

_So that's why they brought me out here, _he thought.

He glanced amongst the group around him. It had been a distraction to break through his defense with Jacqueline, and they had done it at the right time. Damn them.

He passed them, brushing shoulders with one of the men as he did. He returned to the room where he shooed the others back who followed him, then went inside. The others hung near the door in curiosity but he ignored them and kept his back to them.

He stopped when he came to the middle of the room and listened. He heard nothing inside, but outside---

He turned towards the doorway and gestured a hand while he said, "Get back. Get back."

They did, and after they quieted, he looked about the room. "Jacqueline? Jacqueline, it's me. It's safe." He paused but there was nothing.

He then moved back to the door. "When did Rasputin notice she wasn't here?"

"He came here after you left. Did you know she wasn't here before you left? He said there couldn't have been a way---"

Without a word, Kroenen pushed through them and walked down the hall, and soon picked up the pace. Instinct told him what had happened. He had to check if what it was telling him was true. He hoped it wasn't true.

He ignored the fact he was being followed and wandered the halls until he came to the front doors.

_Please don't tell me she---_

He opened one of the doors, and that was when he saw it. Her footprints were in the snow, leading away from the mansion. He muttered, "I didn't say run, yet." He stepped down and studied the footprints in the snow. He suddenly burst into a run, but within a few strides, one of the Nazis grabbed him by the arm and stopped him.

"Kroenen, you crazy son of a bitch! Where do you think you're going? You can't go out there looking like that!"

Kroenen looked back at him. "I have to go after her." He elbowed the man who held him and was set free to chase after Jacqueline's footprints.


	7. How Many Bullets in a Luger?

She told them her story---about the Ragna Rok, the mansion, the wizard, Karl---

They were an odd bunch. The three stood with her in a warm library with a fireplace. The woman who found her, Liz Sherman, stood by it. The other two were nothing but monsters.

One was tall and slender, what seemed to be an amphibious man. He was something she might see at a PT Barnum museum, but he was too real to be apart of some side-show. He called himself Abe. The one who scared her most was the large red demon beside him. Even his name unsettled her. Hellboy.

She sat on the edge of a couch closest to the fireplace with her knees tightly pressed together and her hands bunched into fists as she held them on her lap. She kept her head down, refusing to look at them.

After she went over the subject of Karl, she finalized it by saying, "He was never like this. He was nothing but a pussy-cat."

"I hate to break it to you, but your boyfriend's a bastard," the demon said. "Look up the word bastard in the dictionary and there's his picture."

"Stop it! He would never do this."

"People change," Liz said.

"I didn't think he would. Not like this. It's out of character. I cannot even see his face."

"Maybe you can if we bring him in," the demon said. "Tell me where the mansion you told us about us is.

She looked at the demon and thought this over. She could tell them so they would handle the Nazis, and most of all, the wizard, but what about Karl? What would they do to him? He was, after all, apart of them.

"I don't remember much. I got disoriented when I ran into the streets."

"Can you tell us any landmarks or signs?" Liz said.

She shook her head. "No."

"Is it _in _the city?" Liz said.

"No. It's somewhere farther."

"Is there _anything_ you can tell us?" Abe asked.

"Again, I was disoriented. I was only concerned with getting away. Do you take notes when you're being chased?"

"Actually, I do have a better memory than---"

The demon cut him off. "Abe, not now." He then looked back at Jacqueline. "Listen, Jackie… May I call you Jackie?"

"No," she said in a harsh tone.

The demon frowned. "You better start remembering where that place is. We'll leave for a few minutes and see what you say then. All right?"

She stared at the demon, and then said with some hesitation, "All right."

The demon nodded his head to the side and said to the other two, "Come on." Together, the three left the room and Jacqueline watched them cautiously.

* * *

"I think she's lying," Hellboy said as they left the library.

"Lying about what?" Liz said.

"The whole thing," Hellboy said.

"What makes you think that?"

"I don't know. I think she's with them. She smells like a Nazi, and if she isn't they're rubbing off on her. I think she's a spy. She's giving us that puppy dog look and the wet stray kitten act is working for her. But I don't believe it. She wouldn't even take that hat off."

"Perhaps I'll try to find a file on her," Abe said.

"Yeah," Hellboy said, "Bring that Nazi bastard's file, too, will you, Abe? I'll show it to her."

Abe paused and glanced at him before he left the two.

* * *

First into one hand of evil and then into another. This time she was being kept by only three. She didn't know which way was worse, here or at the mansion. Perhaps the mansion was better. The men there were human, and more importantly, Karl was there.

She watched the three go out the door and she kept her eyes on it. The room went silent again except for the crackling of the fireplace. She glanced at it and stared at the hypnotizing flames---She looked at the door then back at the flames and to the door again. When she looked away again she didn't look at the flames. Instead, she looked around the whole library which surrounded her. It was like a large study. There must have been hundreds of books in the room with her. At least there were books with her, not monsters.

She scanned each shelf and soon she was beginning to convince herself to look for a way out. She'd be crazy if she stayed and pretended the three were her saviors. She didn't trust them one bit, although she gave the other woman a chance. She seemed human enough, unless she was just another creature in human skin.

Her eyes wandered up to the second level of the library, scanned the shelves against the wall and saw on the right, there was a window with blue curtains. Could that be her way out? If that was the case, she had to see for herself. She didn't know when the three would come back.

She quickly crossed the room to a flight of stairs and climbed them. Then, by the time she reached the middle of the stairs, she heard, "Hey!"

She turned her head and saw the red demon. She let out a yelp and ran up to the top level. She ran to the window where the demon jogged in her direction. She nearly rammed into it but she kept herself from hitting the glass by grabbing onto the sill. She pulled up on it but it wouldn't give.

"Hey, stop!" the demon called after her.

She looked back where she saw the demon coming closer. Her heart was pounding harder. She found herself frozen for a few seconds then came to again. She had to get out. Now.

She knew breaking the glass with her fist or elbow would hurt---slow her down even if she cut herself too deeply. So---

She saw a stepping stool by the rail and instantly grabbed it. With one swing she hit the glass, shattering it with shards falling to the floor. She then looked outside and below was a fire escape. She glanced behind herself quickly then vaulted over the sill onto the platform. The skirt of her dress caught on the glass but she pulled away with no effort. She heard it rip.

She looked over the railing and saw it was three-story drop to the ground. There was no sense in jumping from here. It wasn't worth breaking her bones, especially her legs. If she did, she wouldn't be able to run. So she bolted down the stairs and zig-zagged through each platform. She nearly tripped but she caught herself.

She ran all the way down to a latter, then dropped down onto the ground. She slipped on her landing, though, and wound up on her hands and knees. It only left her some scrapes. At least the snow cushioned her fall a bit.

She quickly picked herself up and began to run with her head ducked as if it would resist the wind, but then she noticed her hat wasn't on her head. She looked back and saw it lying on the ground under the fire escape. She halted suddenly and returned to it and snatched it up from the ground. She slapped it back on her head as she ran off.

The demon didn't follow at first---at least by her knowledge.

* * *

She kept running until she was out of breath and her body was near to the point of freezing. All she had was her dress, high heels and Karl's hat. It kept her head a bit warm but it was loose. There were times she had to hold it down to prevent it from falling off. But neither the cold or exhaustion stopped her. It wasn't just escaping the demon now, it was where Karl was. He had to be out here looking for her. She knew it. She had her faith in him.

Her running slowed into a jog then to a walk. Just where was he going to be? He didn't sound like he had a straight answer earlier.

It didn't look good, but she had to try, even if it was in vain.

While walking through a park, she began calling with her hands cupped around her mouth like a bullhorn, "KARL! KARL RUPERT KROENEN! GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE! NOW!" Her voice echoed.

There was no answer, but it didn't stop her. She called his name over and over. She stopped to catch her breath and listened. And then---

Nearby, she saw a statue of three rings rising from largest to smallest. Between the top and middle was a set of small figures that looked like cherubs. And on top of the statue was an angel with its wings extended out. The closer she looked, she saw it wasn't a statue but a water fountain frozen in the snow.

She wrapped her arms around herself and walked towards it. It was like a sign. With all their meetings at the University, this could be it, this could be where he was going to find her. She looked around before she sat down on its edge. And there she waited, glancing around and ducked her head a few times.

She didn't keep count of how much time passed, she just waited. But she didn't care. As long as he came, she would wait here in the freezing snow, alone.

_Please come_, she said in her mind.

It must have been several minutes after that when she heard someone approaching. Oh, could it be Karl? Did he hear her somehow?

She lifted her head. It wasn't Karl. It was a man in a dark bomber jacket and he had the symbols she saw at the mansion on him. His face was somehow familiar, too. It was then she remembered he was one of the young men she saw on the street earlier.

He walked to her and sat down casually as if he knew her.

"Hey pretty girl. Cold, isn't it? Aren't you cold wearing that dress?"

She glanced at him through the corner of her eye and said nothing.

"So, you're the quiet type."

He didn't act like the type of men from the mansion. But what explained the symbols?

He leaned towards her. "What are you doing out here?"

"I'm waiting for someone."

"Ah, so you have a boyfriend. But who would leave you out here all alone?" He then looked at the hat on her head and took it off. "Hey, nice hat." He examined it. "It looks authentic. Where did you get it?"

She grabbed for it, but the man kept it out of her reach. "Give it back!"

He kept it away like she was a dog jumping for a bone. He stood and she followed, clawing for it while he waved it.

"Give it back! Give it back!"

Having enough, she punched him hard in the stomach. The man doubled forward and coughed out a breath of air. It was then the hat fell out of his hand and went rolling into the snow. Jacqueline scooped up the valuable hat and put it back on. She almost screwed it on to make sure it wouldn't fall off again, and then she looked at the man with her lips pursed and one hip cocked to the side in a victorious way. But before her victory was complete, the man lifted his head and glared at her.

"Bitch." He swung his hand and struck her across the face, hard enough to knock her to the ground. He grabbed her by the shoulders after she went down and as soon as she knew it, he was straddling her. She kicked and struggled but he held her down. He let one hand go when he tried to shuffle up skirt of her dress, but had to let go when she had to get control again.

She screamed. She screamed now knowing what he was planning to do. She cried out for help as loud as she could. That help felt like forever to come to her but as loud as she cried out, someone did come. It was the perfect someone.

Ahead, a dark figure came charging out of a collection of trees like an animal bursting out for an attack. He came running towards them at high-speed and once he came up to them, he kicked the man across the face. He was thrown and came inches from hitting the wall of the fountain.

Jacqueline picked her head up to see her hero and saw Karl standing overhead, one fist bunched in rage. He stared across at her attacker. She didn't need to see his face to know what was going on behind his mask; his teeth were bared like a wild animal, his wild eyes set forward and locked onto the stunned man who was just recovering. She was surprised he hadn't lost a couple of teeth or gotten a broken jaw.

Karl took a step forward and while he did, he drew a gun from under his coat and fired a shot at the ground beside him. The man screamed when the bullet struck the ground and curled up. Then when he looked up and saw Karl, his eyes grew in horror. He scattered backwards and screamed: "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! DON'T KILL ME! DON'T KILL ME!"

He got to his feet and ran. But he didn't keep his back on Karl long. He spun around and pinned his back against a tree. He stared at him, his eyes just as huge when he first saw him, then he held his hands up in surrender.

"So that's how you treat women?" Karl said. He shouted it. She had never heard him shout like that before. He was indeed a changed man. "You're a disgrace! You're a disgrace to my nation! You think you're worthy of the Nazi cause? You wouldn't be worthy of the cause I'm now apart of! Tell me, boy, how many rounds are there in a Luger?" He pointed his gun at him.

The man stood there shaking in the middle of the trivia question. He then stuttered, "S-six?"

"Wrong. It's eight. Let me prove it. I used one already. Here's number two." He pulled the trigger. The bullet struck the tree beside his head and threw chunks of bark and wood. He screamed like a girl but he didn't run.

"Three! Four! Five!" He fired on each count.

Each hit the tree and the man stood there, shaking.

"Six!" There was a long pause after he fired his sixth round. Then Karl said, "Do you want me to test if there's another round?"

"N-no."

"Good. Now, get out of here, boy. Go home to your mother."

"Y-yes, sir." He then ran off into the trees with a puff of snow following him when he hit bushes and branches. Jacqueline's eyes wasn't on him, though, they were on Karl. He watched his opponent until he was out of sight, and then turned towards her. When he turned to her, it seemed like it was in slow motion. Despite wearing that eerie mask he looked beautiful. She saw his face behind her eyes.

He stared at her, then walked to her as she sat on the ground. He held a hand out to her. "Are you alright?"

"Yes."

He then held a hand out and helped her to her to her feet. The two stood face to face with their hands in one another. Again, she saw his face, not the mask. She smiled but there was no smile on his face. Instead, there was serenity.

She lost that image when he turned his head and took a few paces away. He stooped then returned to her, carrying the hat. "Did you loose something?" He dusted it off on his pants and put it on her head. She adjusted it, trying to get it at a spot where it wouldn't fall off again. Karl found it too tempting and yanked the visor over her eyes.

She fixed it, glaring at him and then softened her features. "How did you know I would be here?"

He shrugged. "I had a gut feeling."

The water fountain, of course. Staying by the water fountain had been a good idea afterall, even if---

She then looked him over. "I didn't know you had a gun," she said.

"Well, you know now. But what's important is why did you leave? Do you remember what I said? When I say run, run. And I didn't say run."

"I'm sorry, but that man came into the room looking for me. I didn't want to know what he wanted. I was afraid."

"Well, your tour of the modern world is over. We're going." He began to pull her but she stopped.

"Wait. Does that mean you're taking me back to the mansion?"

"Sadly, yes. I have no choice." He began to pull again but she stopped him again.

"What are you a dog playing fetch to them now?"

He didn't say anything at first, then said, "Would you rather have the others looking for you?"

It was Jacqueline's turn to go silent now. She recalled the demon and the others and her escape. She stared out. "I think I'm being followed either way."

Karl cocked his head. "Pardon?"

"I think I'm being followed by a red demon. He told me he was going to help me and that he knew about you and the…what was it called? Ragna Rok? But I got away. I still think he's following me."

He stared at her. "Now we run." He suddenly yanked her into a run.

* * *

When his bleeding nose began to slow, he was nearly crawling. It was probably broken from the boot to the face. There were also shards of bark in his hair after being shot at.

He stopped and sat on the ground with his legs drawn up and ducked his head deeply. He held a hand over his nose to keep it from bleeding.

"Craig. Hey, Craig, what are you doing on the ground?"

He looked up and saw three men approaching him. When they came closer they noticed his beaten face and bleeding nose. "What happened to you?"

"I saw a Nazi."

The others laughed.

"No, it was a real live Nazi!"

You idiot, it was just someone in a uniform. What did he look like?"

"I couldn't tell. He was wearing some weird mask."

"What did he do to you? Wouldn't he be on our side? He beat the living hell out of you."

"Remember the girl we saw earlier with the hat? She was there. I was trying to mess with her and he showed up. I wasn't going to hurt her! I was only going to mess with her!"

A couple of them laughed. "Well, that's what you get when you mess with a Nazi's girl." They laughed again.

"Shut up! It's not funny! I got a broken nose!"

Above, in a tree, they were being watched. Hellboy found it oddly entertaining. An enemy---a member of the Ragna Rok, and a Nazi at that, basically beat the living hell out of a Neo-Nazi and probably scarred him for life. If only he had a video camera, he would have grabbed a bag of popcorn and watched it over and over.

"Well, that handles him."

Too bad he was still the enemy.


	8. Confrontation

She held tightly onto Karl's arm while they ran through the woods. It would be insane to go through the park's open grounds with the risks of being spotted. But thanks to the night snow, only the moon watched them---or so that's what they thought.

There was nothing else on their minds but get the hell out of here. Karl wanted to get out of sight, and Jacqueline, she just wanted out of this, period.

She pulled a bit on him with some hesitation, but he was too busy concentrating on their course of escape. She knew where the end of their path would lead to, though. Damn him.

"Karl. Karl. Slow down." Her legs were aching and on the verge of numbness. She could barely keep up. He was too fast.

She stumbled and finally pulled away from him. She had to grab a hold of a tree to keep from falling, and pushed off. She stumbled into the opening of the park and swayed some with her arms out, looking like a newborn deer.

Nearby, she heard a rustling in the patch of woods where Karl halted then ran to her.

"Jacqueline."

Panting, she glared at him. She knew he wanted to go further but she didn't have it. She had enough. She was too tired, too cold and too unwilling to take another step.

She waited for him to speak, but he didn't. He slowly began to turn his head, now beginning to focus on something else, something she couldn't see. He then turned his head the other way, and after a few seconds, his hand went inside his Great Coat.

Suddenly, something flew out of the woods, something red. She was blinded momentarily as snow was kicked up and she was pushed aside. She fell on her backside and when she looked up she saw Karl and the demon, Hellboy, facing off.

Hellboy threw the first punch with his huge right fist but missed by inches when Karl dodged to the side and ran a few paces away. He put his hand into his coat again and withdrew his gun.

"Let us pass," he said.

"I'm not a toll. She's coming with me, like it or not. Now, do I have to shove a gun in your face, too?" He reached a hand to his own belt holster and withdrew a larger gun at Karl.

"Don't!" Jacqueline shouted.

He turned his head to her, and while he was distracted, Karl charged forward. With one quick, hard swing, he hit his hand against the demon's gun within his stone hand. It was surprisingly knocked out and dropped into the snow.

Then, Hellboy looked at him as if he was just a bothersome fly. "So that's how you wanna play it." He suddenly grabbed Karl by the front of his coat, and then threw him.

He landed on his back several feet away.

Hellboy walked towards him and picked him up high while he was dazed, and like a ragdoll, he slammed his body down into the ground. Then again for good measure. Jacqueline shrieked as she watched and her heart and stomach dropped fast.

She found herself frozen in place for a few moments before she dashed out. After a few paces while she ran towards them, she saw Karl's gun in the snow. She grabbed it and continued towards them. Keeping her eyes on the demon, she halted in front of Karl, who lay still on the ground.

She pointed the gun at Hellboy.

"Stop it! Get away from him!" She kept her aim on him as he glared at her with his yellow eyes. Her hands were shaking.

Behind her, Karl moaned and she glanced over her shoulder. She saw Karl beginning to rise to his hands and knees. His arms shook as he did.

"Karl."

She quickly turned and went to him, and then wrapped one arm around him. He struggled to get up but she didn't need to stop him; he was too weak. He tried anyhow.

"Karl, stop. Stop. You'll hurt yourself." He struggled to stay up but his body gave up and he dropped onto his side. Jacqueline held him down this time.

At the corner of her eye, Hellboy took a step closer.

"Come on, lady, let him go."

Jacqueline returned her guard on Karl, and with the gun, she took aim on him. She took a position as if she knew how to use the thing. In fact, she hated guns. All she knew about them was to aim and pull the trigger. She didn't even know if she was aiming right.

"Jacqueline, no," Karl then said behind her, grunting. "It won't work."

She glanced at him, to Hellboy, then back to Karl. "Then hold on. Get up." She gripped him harder, putting a hand under one arm and slid the other around her shoulders. She then tried to stand but Karl was too heavy.

She tried again.

"Are you serious?" Hellboy said. "You're trying to help that Nazi bastard? He's no good. You shouldn't trust him. He's apart of some occult trying to bring an apocalypse to earth."

She stared at the demon, trying to take it in, and then looked at Karl. "Is this true?" Her voice was soft and cautious.

"Y-yes," he groaned.

She stared at him long, then looked at Hellboy. "I don't care." She tried to stand again. This time, Karl coopered. With shaky legs, he slowly stood, putting his weight onto her. She struggled to keep on her feet and swayed as he steadied himself. She listened as he breathed heavily through his mask. It made her want to shutter.

She turned from the demon and began to walk away. She walked slowly, making sure she didn't walk too fast for him. As she went, she glanced back at Hellboy. Neither one of them said a word to each other.

Jacqueline walked away slowly back to the mansion under Karl's arm.

* * *

Hellboy watched the two leave until they were out of sight. It felt like it took forever until they were gone. Well, it did, considering the Nazi bastard was injured. And he couldn't believe he let them go. All he could confess to himself was that she was in love. No, really. She was in love with that bastard. But why? Why would she stay with him after the story she told earlier? Was it now that she saw him, she changed her mind?

Either she was a good actress or a love-struck fool.

If she wanted to be with him, fine. There wouldn't be any skin off his tail.

He adjusted the frequency to the BPRD and called to their attention, "Hellboy here. I followed the girl but I lost her. I can't get her trail.."

See? Easy as that.

He was going to regret it later.

* * *

Karl guided her by voice back to the mansion and Jacqueline guided his weakened body in return. There were times they nearly fell but they kept on their feet. Karl sounded like he was struggling to breathe.

When they finally returned, they got a few stares, expecting Karl to bring _her _back, but it was the other way around, and not in the best conditions. By the time they reached the doors, Karl collapsed. It was confirmed that he had broken ribs from the fight, but his comrades weren't aware of it.

After their arrival, they merely carried him off and let her in the room with him. She wasn't pulled away and she didn't see their leader, they just returned her to the room like an escaped prisoner who was given amnesty.

She settled down after they returned her to the room and warmed herself. They laid Karl on the small couch, giving her the chance to examine any other wounds. She found nothing serious, though, just broken ribs. She could feel them against his sides.

_I wish I had lived long enough to do some actual work_, she said to herself with some doubt in her mind. But that didn't mean she was going to give up and let him suffer. She looked around the room, going over her mind what she needed and what she had around her.

Her conclusion? Basically nothing.

Slowly, she looked at the door of Kar's lab and bit her lower lip. Dare she go back in there? Were those things in there and was there truly of anything of use?

There was only one way to find out.

She stepped towards it and slowly opened the door and peeked in. She waited for one of those creatures to come out but none did. It was quiet inside.

After she called it an all clear, she went in and began to wander the room. The stink of the place, the smell of decay and metal hit her nose first. No wonder Karl wore that mask. She had to breathe through her mouth but she didn't turn away from the lab.

She looked around in one spot before she moved on. There were devices, machinery and things that had once been alive.

Maybe the demon was right…

But that didn't matter at the moment.

She looked at a table in the middle of the room. There was something on it, but she couldn't make it out because it was covered. Desperate to check every corner of the place, she walked towards it. On it, there were small devices. She looked at the large thing on the table and saw a glimpse of gray peeking out from a portion of the cover.

She quickly adverted her eyes, fearing what it was, and when she did, there she saw a roll of gauze. She was lucky after all.

She grabbed it and left the room and returned to Karl. Once there, she knelt by him and stripped some layers of his uniform away until she got to bare skin. What she saw wasn't what she expected, given his age now. His skin was fine but not perfect as she remembered it. His healthy ribs showed only a bit compared to his leanness when he was in his twenties. His body didn't have the features of a man over his nineties. Not one bit.

She tried to shake her confusion off and got to work on wrapping his ribs. She would have to ask him questions later.

After she finished, she sat on the floor and stared at him. _You've become more of a mystery-man than when I first met you_, she thought. _I think you have more secrets than I do._

After she was finished, making sure the wrapping was secure around his chest, she moved closer and tried to find a spot beside him. She was careful not to press against him or push him against the sofa. When she did settle she didn't dare to move or make a noise. He was too deep into unconsciousness anyway. He didn't react while she pressed on his ribs when she mended them.

It took a few minutes for her to move again to be in a better position. She laid her head on his chest and then relaxed, but while lying there with him wasn't the same. His breathing was different, drastically different. Instead of soothing, rhythmic breaths, his breathing was hollow and hissed at times. She immediately lifted her head at distaste of the sound, then tried again to rest her head on his chest but she failed again. He stared down on him and focused on the mask. Oh how badly she wanted to take that damned thing off.

_So, Jacqueline,_ she said to himself. _What is taking you? He's unconscious. There's nothing he can do about it and he won't know about it. _She continued to look down on him and remembered his lovely face.

She was afraid… And what if he did find out?

Finally, after negotiating, she found a spot to rest her head under his arm like a puppy. There, she warmed herself and forgot the horrors of the night through her dreams.


	9. The Truth

By morning, she woke groggily with stiff muscles and sores where she had fallen the previous night. She had scrapes on her knees like a kid who had fallen after playing. She had gotten plenty of scrapes when she played with her brothers when she was a child, but this was much worse.

She instinctively reached an arm over to feel for Karl but felt nothing. She opened her eyes and didn't find him in the room anywhere. When she came to a little bit, she noticed a blanket covering her.

What had gone on while she was sleeping? She was a light sleeper. Most importantly, where was Karl?

The answer came when her eyes wandered towards the door of the lab. He was just closing it behind. He wasn't wearing his Great Coat or hat, instead, he was wearing a close-fitting black outfit.

She sat up. "Karl? What are you doing up? Your ribs are broken."

He looked her way and walked towards her. There was no limp in him and he didn't show any pain sort of pain. It was like he was never thrown by that raging demon. She remembered the night clearly. It was no dream.

"I had some help. But thank you for taking care of me." He walked to her and knelt down on one knee, then took one of her hands. "How are you feeling, my dear?"

"I'm all right." She looked at his gloved hands. She wondered what he was hiding under there, too. "Karl, I have some questions I want you to answer."

He rose slowly. He had to be gritting his teeth nervously. "I have a feeling what you want."

"Well…and one more. First, tell me a little bit more about this Ragna Rok. I think the version you gave me was a little vague. Was the demon right?"

He was silent for a few moments and stood still.

"Karl? Tell me the truth."

He finally gave in. "It's true, I told you."

"What is it, really? What's going on behind these walls and what's happening to you?"

"Ragna Rok," Karl said. "It originated during the war, led by Rasputin. Hitler wanted a doomsday weapon so the war would end and Germany would be victorious. That's when he turned to Grigori Rasputin. He said he could promise a miracle and give him what he wanted. I was chosen into the project as well as other talented scientists and occultists. Some of them are with us here."

"Karl, did you willfully do this?"

"Yes. And Rasputin is still trying to bring his promise to the world."

"And you're still following him? You're still working for him?"

"Yes."

A frown came across her face. They both looked at each other. And then, Jacqueline slipped off the couch and walked up close to him. She stared into his lenses where his eyes would be. Then: "KARL RUPERT KROENEN!" She slapped him hard across the face. It stung and left a red mark on the palm of her hand, but it felt well worth it.

After slapping him, she threw out all sorts of obscenities at him that would make a nun go deaf. She used every word in every sentence. When she ran out of breath, Karl stood stunned and a bit on defense, ready to brace himself for another hit.

"Jacqueline…"

"Don't you Jacqueline, me! I want some more answers from you, too!"

"Calm down, please. What is it?"

There was a tinge of anxiety if he answered her new question.

"I know how old you should be now…but you're too fast and too strong. While I was tending your wounds, you have no body of an old man…"

He snorted, insulted.

"It's not logical," she said. "Karl, what's going on? Take that damn mask off! Damn it, I had the chance last night. But maybe I didn't want to. Does it have to do anything with your Ragna Rok?"

He slowly nodded, and then she narrowed her eyes. "Does this, too?" She charged past him and ran into the lab.

* * *

He tried to grab for Jacqueline when she ran past him but missed her, and she was soon dashing into his lab. He quickly went after. Once inside, he didn't see her right away (damn, she was fast) but when he glanced to the side, he saw her crouching with her back against the wall. Her courage was gone in an instant and suddenly reduced her to this.

He took a step towards her. "Jacqueline?"

She jerked her head up and tried to hold back some sniffles. He watched as glistening tears fell from her eyes. The very image uneased him. He could do nothing but stand and stare at her in awe.

"This is for Ragna Rok, isn't it?" she said. "This is yours. What are you doing in here?"

"That is none of your business." He took a step forward then held a hand out. She looked at it, and hesitantly, she took it. She allowed him to pick her up, but the trust she had last night wasn't there. She immediately let go as if he was a disgusting thing.

"Maybe you're not human anymore," she said. "Maybe they changed you."

"Jacqueline, your assumptions are non-sense. I believe I have said enough."

"No, you have plenty more to explain, Karl."

"My dear, it would take years to explain. And most of it you wouldn't approve of."

"Like this?" She gestured around the room.

He nodded. "Like this."

She slowly shook her head. "Then explain."

He stood silent a moment before he said, "I did not chose you so I can explain what I have been doing the last few decades. I brought you back so you can tell me what happened. Why did you disappear? What made me wait for you all this time?"

She clenched her fists and squeezed them until they were shaking. Her eyes welled up with tears again. Then, she snapped in a tone she had never spoke in before: "It was an abortion! I got an abortion! I don't know what went wrong that it killed me! I don't know. I'm sorry, Karl! I'm sorry!" She cried.

His eyes widened from behind his mask and he clenched his hands tightly. Then, he suddenly lunged at her. He grabbed one hand around her neck and slammed her against the wall. "YOU STUPID WOMAN! _What were you thinking? You gave your life up for _that_?_

He didn't know he had her pinned against the wall at first but he but he soon found himselfface to face with her while she held her hands up. She was crying intensely.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Karl! I was afraid. I was afraid. I thought it would ruin my life. I thought I wouldn't be able to finish my career at the University. I was thinking of you, too."

"That's your excuse, Jacqueline? You threw your life away for _nothing_?" He slowly let go, and then took a step back. There were bitter and truth to his chosen words.

"I didn't know it would turn out this way," she said. "I didn't want you to find out. I was going to tell you but I decided I couldn't do it and went to abort it. You were going to be a father, so I betrayed you, too."

Him. A father. God…

She ducked her head and looked at the floor. "It's still in me, you know. I can feel it. That means I died before they got it out of me. It's a dead, black thing now. Karl, I'm sorry." She then dropped to the floor by his boots and cried, "I'm sorry! Forgive me!"

He took a step back as if in disgust but he moved from her out of fear and shock.

"Jacqueline, stop it. You don't have to do that."

She let out a few gasps then picked her head up. She stared at him with her tear-stained face then stood and ran out of the room to the balcony. He watched her go but didn't pursue her.

He looked down on the floor where she had been and saw some tear-marks on his boots.

His mind was blank for a long period of time, unsure how to react. He wasn't sure if he should celebrate in some way, be proud, or remain shocked. Either way, it was too late. There was nothing he could do about it. All he could do was know what had happened, what he wanted all this time.

Damn, the truth hurt.

Slowly, he walked out the lab and went to the balcony where Jacqueline sought sanctuary. She was sitting on the ground, with her legs to her chest and her back against the wall. She stared out into nothingness.

"Jacqueline?"

He walked to her and crouched down in front of her. He locked his eyes onto her. "I'm sorry for the way I behaved back there."

"You have the right to be angry," she said with her eyes down.

"No. I was wrong. I hope I didn't hurt you. Please forgive me if I did."

"No, you didn't. You just scared me." She lowered her eyes then raised them again to look into his lenses. "Karl? Did you kill? In the war, I mean."

"Of course, I did."

She went silent for a long moment. It felt like a while minute before she spoke again. "If I had this child, would you still have joined the war?"

"Many men joined the Reich. Every day men."

"Then…would you have still joined Ragna Rok?"

"I see where this is going," he said, then took her by the shoulders and leaned in. "I'll take you home."

* * *

The following two days, Jacqueline was finally taken to Germany. The trip involved getting there by helicopter and Jacqueline kept close to Kroenen. She kept close to him, not used to flight and laid her head on his lap as she curled up beside him. Both of them had gone quiet but there was no hated between them. It was time to let go. Kroenen hated to admit it but it was finally time to let go.

When they landed, Kroenen went ahead, taking Jacqueline.

What he led her to was her grave site where her body had been taken from. The owners of the grounds had thought it had been vandalized by grave robbers, but tonight, she was going to return.

She kept close to him as they moved past the gravestones. And finally when they came to her grave site, her coffin laid beside the open hole where it had been taken out of. It was now an empty, a hungry mouth waiting to be fed.

He pointed a finger to it and the tombstone. Jacqueline looked ahead, standing still for a long moment before she stepped up to the hole and knelt down at the foot of it, execution-style. And there she sat, waiting.

Kroenen looked at her back, withdrew his gun and walked closer. He then pointed it at the back of her head. He didn't fire, though. It was like it was jammed but it was his finger which was jammed, refusing to pull the trigger.

How could he pull the trigger on the one he loved, the only one he loved? Could he see her blood on him?

There was silence. Long silence.

"Your hand is shaking," she said without turning her head to him.

He hadn't noticed.

"So it is," he said in a calm voice. He waited for his finger to regain its courage, but he still didn't shoot. He dropped his arm. "You are not my enemy." He then holstered his gun and knelt beside her. He took her in one arm and with the other he slipped his hand into his coat and then pulled out a syringe.

Jacqueline's eyes turned to it. Then, a faint, fatigue smile crossed her lips. "I knew it," she said. "I knew you couldn't do it." She closed her eyes and opened them again. "Go ahead. I'll see you again."

"That's not where I'll be going." He then quickly jabbed the needle into her and injected the serum. He looked down on her while one arm continued to support her. He waited until it worked into her.

Then, she looked at his face and reached for his mask. He let her touch it. She closed her eyes and opened them again.

She then whispered, "You're beautiful."

The end.


End file.
